ArtisTree 2021 in Review: 5 Moments to Look Back On

It’s been a year full of creativity, inspiration, and great encounters for ArtisTree. We inspired office workers in Taikoo Place to lead a greener lifestyle; created an art experience that connected artists from different parts of the world as well as the local audience; celebrated a Guinness World Record; did good with over 420 members of our community; and now, we are spreading the joy of sharing through our current exhibition. As we bid farewell to 2021 and usher in 2022, let’s look back at the memorable moments at this space of endless possibilities.

1. When we embraced a more sustainable lifestyle…

In January, we explored a more sustainable way of living with our first pop-up of the year, the Green Common Pop-up, which was part of the Discover Taikoo Place campaign. Our foyer area was turned into a wellness pop-up, serving up vegetarian-friendly Hong Kong-style breakfasts, wholesome afternoon tea snacks and beverages. There was also a range of plant-based products by Califia Farms and OmniPork on offer, delivering a unique plant-based food and shopping experience for our sustainability-minded community. More than 10,000 visitors discovered how eating sustainably wasn’t so difficult after all; and not only does it benefit our planet, but also our wellbeing.

2. When we connected through an unconventional art experience…

Art has the power to connect people, and we experienced that first hand when we debuted ArtisTree Selects: Light In/Out Film and Exhibition in May with Norwegian artist Fredrik Tjærandsen. Created during a time when travelling was particularly challenging, the collaborative project brought together international talents who were based in different parts of the world, from Hong Kong to London to Portugal. The highlight of the show was an original fashion dance film we created featuring Tjærandsen’s mesmerising bubble dresses. It reminded us how we could reconnect as a community as a post-pandemic society and reconsider our perspectives on life. As Tjærandsen put it, “It’s all about creating deeper connections with yourself and with the world.”

3. When we celebrated a new world record…

In July, Hong Kong Tramways officially made the Guinness World Records™ for the world’s largest double-decker tram fleet in service. To celebrate this achievement with everyone in Hong Kong, ArtisTree was transformed into a tram-inspired pop-up in partnership with Hong Kong Tramways and the award-winning Cupping Room café. The store was beautifully adorned in the iconic “Ding Ding” body paint, named “HK Tram Green” by Pantone Color Institute, in tribute to the century-old transport. Exclusive memorabilia, an interactive tram ticket machine, as well as Instagrammable installations (like a life-size neon double-decker tram) took us on a ride like no other.

4. When we ignited a wellness journey…

There’s an art to living well – and from September until November, we celebrated it with the “+UP! Better Living Pop-ups”. Designed to help you glam up, train up and team up for good, the programme included a range of wellbeing-oriented activities and events that help us level up our wellness. Our foyer once again got a new look – this time for the Nourish Clean Beauty x Mother Pearl Pop-up in partnership with Po House, which offered an array of sustainable skincare brands and ArtisTree-exclusive vegan bubble teas. To promote an active lifestyle, we also hosted exciting boxing workshops with LIGHTS//OUT Boxing Club in our black box studio.

The wellness journey culminated in the Corporate Wellness Challenge: 8-Hour Charity Spin, where ArtisTree transformed into an adrenaline-pumping spinning centre with live DJ music. Twenty Taikoo Place-based companies, with more than 420 office executives, came together to support mental health, raising a remarkable HK$530,452 for Mind HK in the two-day event – thank you to everyone who participated in this truly meaningful event.

5. When we spread the joy of sharing…

December is the month of joy and love, and we celebrate with a “visual poem” composed by singer-songwriter turned artist Ivana Wong. On show until 8 January 2022, ArtisTree Selects: The Missing Something – The Singing Canvases is Wong’s first installation art exhibition. Exploring the notion of “sharing” – which we are all capable of – the installation fuses music, videography, chiaroscuro art and the written word created by the Wong herself, who invites everyone to embark on a sensory poetic journey to relive precious memories and revitalise forgotten feelings. “In sharing, we can all become someone’s Santa,” says Wong.

 

More inspiring and exciting artistic programmes are coming to this versatile black box in 2022 – stay tuned!